Car-coupling.



No. 653,6". Patented .lulyvv l0, |900.

s. M. B HooKs.

CAR COUPLING (Application filed Oct. 19, 1899):., l

(No Model.)

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Lf( l i SH01/neg UNITED STATEs PATENT EEIC.

SAMUEL M. BROOKS, 'OF LAVVNVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF NINE- TWENTIETHS TO J. M. SMITH, J. W. CROWDER, AND J. B. HARVEY, OF SAME PLACE, WILLIAM T. GALLAI-IER, A. L. MAY, AND L. N. HOLLO- WAY, OF ROANE COUNTY, AND CAMEL JONES, OF WHEAT, TENNESSEE.

CAR-COUPLING.

sPEcIFIcATioN forming pm of Letters' Patent No.eaaci 1, dated lJury 1o, 1900. Application filed October 19,- 1899; 4Serial No.*'734,12l. (No model.)

T0 all whom itmoty concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. BEooKs, a resident of the city of Lawnpville, Roane county, Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carp-Couplers, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

My invention relates to car-couplers, and more especially to automatic car-couplers designed to automatically effect the coupling of railway and other cars.

The object of the invention is to produce a car-coupler which shall be eflicient in. operation, cheap to manufacture, and not liable to get out of order.

With this objectin view the invention consists in a tumbler eccentrically mounted in a draw-head and normally supporting the coupling-pin, the tumbler being in position to be actuated by the coupling-link as it enters the draw-head, thereby automatically actuating the tumbler to release the pin, which latter thereupon falls under the action of gravity through the link into the proper seat in the draw-head.

The invention further consists of certain minor details of construction which will be hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my automatic coupler with the parts in the position which they occupy just before the link has actuated the tumbler to permit the pin to fall into position to engage the link. Fig. 2 is a like viewwith the parts shown in the position which they assume when the pin llas been withdrawn preparatory to uncoupling. Fig. 3 is a broken perspective yView showing the parts in the position which they occupy when the coupling-pin is in engagement withthe link.

Similar letters of reference are employed to designate similar parts throughout the sevn eral views.

In said drawings, A represents the drawhead, which has the usual longitudinal bore,

and B is a tumbler' pivoted at h in a slot .formed in the upper side lofthe draw-head, said tumbler preferably having its pivot-pin b passing through an oblong slot b', formed therein. This tumbler iseccentrically pivoted, so that its center of gravity is to the rear of the pivot-pin h, that portion of the front face of the tumbler lying opposite the bearing-pin being a substantially-vertical face, which when the tumbler is in position to sustain the coupling-pin abuts against the front Wall of the slot in which the tumbler is pivoted. Projecting from the front face of the tumbler is a lip or lug B', which extends forward in the channel of the draw-head, and when the tumbler is in normal position (indicated in Fig. l) said lip or lug B is immediately under the coupling-pin C,`having vertical play in an opening or vertical channel C', formed in an upward extension C2 of the draw-head A.

C3 is an opening extending through the lowerwall of the draw-head immediately beneath'the opening Cl and alined therewith.

v, The tumbler B has a slot b2 formed therein, preferably in that portion of the tumbler ly- 'ing immediately above the pivoted pin b, and

a slide or pin B2 placed in said slot, said slide or pin having a flange or lip bs projecting from the rear of the tumbler and a nose b4 projecting from the forward side of the tumbler into an opening C4, (shown in the walls of the channel C.) The length of this slide is such that when the flange bsis in engagement with the rear wall of the tumbler, as shown in Fig. 2, the nose b4 of the slide will project through the opening C4 and into the path of the pin C. Immediately beneath the lug B the tumbler has a rounded-out or cut-away portion B3, which is shaped to engage the rounded end lof the link D when inserted within the drawhead, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Preferably the tumbler has a suitablehousing E formed on the upper surface of the draw-head in order to protect it from the entrance of dirt and other foreign substances, and the draw-head also has preferably formed in the bottom wall thereof `a small hole F for the escape of dirt g eaeli and other foreign substances that may enter the channel of the draw-bar and serve to obstruct the eicient operation of the parts.

.The operation of my device is as follows: Then it is desired to insert a link in the drawhead, the coupling-pin C is raised into the position shown in Fig. 1, when the tumbler by reason of its eccentric mounting swings forward, so that the lug B rests under the pin C. Upon the link being inserted either by hand or by reason of another car coming into position to be coupled .therewith the link D pushes the tumbler rearward, and the pin C falls from the positionshown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. In case it is desired to uncouple two cars the pin C is raised from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2, it being understood that the draw-heads of the two cars abut each other, so that the link D is pushing rearward upon the tumbler B, so as to force it into position shown in Fig. 2. When in this position the pin C is raised, whereupon the slide B2 moves so as to project its nose b4 Linder the pin C, as is clearly shown in said Fig. 2, and the cars being thus unconpled when the link D is withdrawn the tumbler B follows the link, presenting the lug B in position to catch and support the pin C, as shown in Fig. l, the slide B2 being actuated by reason of the eccentricity of the tumbler, so as to withdraw the nose b4 from under the pin C, as will be clearly understood from an inspection of Fig. l.

For the purpose of facilitating the ready entrance of the link into the draw-head the same is formed with an outwardly-flaring opening or mouth, and, if found desirable, the upper end of the opening C3 may be also similarly flared to facilitate the entrance of the pin C. The uncoupling of the parts may be performed by hand in the usual manner or by any suitably-mounted lever designed to lift the pin and free it from engagement with the link.

If desired, the tumbler B may be provided with a lug b5, so positioned on the rear of the tumbler that it will engage the Wall of the draw-head A when the tumbler has swung far enough to the rear to withdraw the lug B from under the pin C.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination of the draw-head, an eccentrically-mounted tumbler having a part projecting into the path of the coupling-pin and another part projecting into the path of the coupling-link, with a slide mounted on said tumbler and having a nose projecting into the path of the pin, when the latter is raised and the tumbler is in its rearposition.

2. The combination with a coupling-link7 of a longitudinally-channeled draw-head, a coupling-pin moving vertically across the channel in the draw-head and engaging in suitable bearings in the walls thereof, a tumbler' mounted to swing in a vertical plane within the channel of the draw-head and having a lug normally projectinginto the path of the pin and above the path of the link, and a downwardly-projecting portion normally lying in the path of the link and in a plane below that of the lug, and a slide in said tumbler in a plane above the lug thereon, said slide having a part projecting into the path of the pin when the tumbler is in a position to withdraw said lug from out of the path of the pin.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL M. BROOKS. Vitncsses:

E. S. PADDER, Jr., JAS. H. WELCKER. 

